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As part of the Obama administration's strategy for dealing with immigration, immigration enforcement and customs and border patrol officers have new orders. They must now ask immigrants they encounter living in the country illegally whether they might qualify to avoid deportation. Agents also have been told to review government files to identify any jailed immigrants they might be able to release. It means a lot for work and a new change in mind-set for Customs and Border Protection agents. Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain how it's going.

Relief is coming to border patrol agents on the Mexican border. Congress is boosting spending for Customs and Border Protection to deal with unaccompanied minors. The agency will have the flexibility to hire more agents and staff at detention centers. Plus, the flood of illegal immigrants has slowed down, at least for now. Shawn Moran is vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. He gave Tom Temin an on-the-ground view of what's going on at the border on the Federal Drive.

Border Patrol agents might start choosing their own work hours. A bill from Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) would also create different rules on overtime pay for agents at Customs and Border Protection. Shawn Moran is vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said if CBP can keep its personnel costs low enough, it can also keep the border fully staffed at all times.

The White House has asked for $1.4 billion more for the Health and Human Services program that serves child migrants. President Obama calls the flood of child migrants crossing the Mexican border illegally and alone an "urgent humanitarian situation." Authorities at the southwest border have stopped 47,000 children in the past eight months. Shawn Moran is vice president and spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council. He tells Tom Temin on the Federal Drive about the scene at the border.

Customs and Border Protection faces a bevy of lawsuits from immigrant advocacy groups. They allege Border Patrol agents had an American citizen deported, stopped another only to do a "citizenship checkup" and beat up another so badly she had to go to the hospital.

In order to counter funding reductions due to sequestration, Customs and Border Protection has begun sending furlough notices to many of its 60,000 employees. An officer in the union representing CBP agents says these measures amount to a 40 percent reduction in salaries.